


The Night Is Still Young

by Roxie Ann (pluvial_poetry)



Category: The Love Interest - Cale Dietrich
Genre: Domesticity, M/M, Yuletide 2017, post-epilogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 01:45:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13043949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pluvial_poetry/pseuds/Roxie%20Ann
Summary: Caden keeps wanting to put things off until the future except the future is kind of right now.





	The Night Is Still Young

**Author's Note:**

  * For [salvadore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/salvadore/gifts).



> With title inspiration from Nicki Minaj.

Caden has this habit now. He wakes up to sunshine and a view of his garden, and he plans his day. Probably most people do that to a certain extent, but he never used to before. Definitely not in the LIC and he struggled with it for a long time after they escaped.

It’s just that he kind of got used to someone else scheduling his life out for him. At the LIC they had classes, they worked out in the gym, there was some forced socialization with the other potentials. And then you had alone time in your room to read or listen to music. That was every day. Then he got assigned to Juliet, and there was Kaylee to tell him where he needed to be and when. Classes, Starbucks, dates with Juliet. The only time Caden took for himself, he spent it with Dyl. Or thinking about Dyl. Actually, that’s one thing that hasn’t changed, he still spends all his free time thinking about Dyl.

But now he makes his own schedule. Like at the job he found at the library. It’s just part time and he doesn’t get that many hours but that's not a problem. It’s not like they need the money. Their LIC bank accounts were never closed and they could live comfortably off of the cash in them for the rest of their lives. Whoever was at the top of the big bad LIC food chain probably thought the money would keep them and the others quiet. And so far they’ve been right.

He's supposed to work this morning and Caden normally doesn't mind keeping busy. Dyl will be at his internship anyways, probably texting Caden gruesome pictures from his text book or of him posing with his practice dummy.

But today in particular, he has a lot on his mind. He needs more time to plan. Because later on today he has a meeting with his academic advisor. They’re supposed to go over his class schedule for next semester and discuss him declaring a major. His college major. Because eventually he’s going to graduate from college. Then he’s going to have a career, because that’s what people do. And he’s basically a person now even if he still hasn’t figured out exactly how it’s done.

He can’t even figure out what classes he wants to take next semester, never mind what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Like, he’s supposed to have picked out a language course and all he can think about is what Kaylee would have to say about the choices. _Nice boys take French, it’s romantic, or nice boys take Chinese, it’s the language of the future._ Maybe he should just take Spanish.

Caden looks over at Dyl. He had migrated away from him some time during the night like he always does; the both of them running too hot to sleep pressed against each other. But now he curls around Dyl; lets his hands settle on Dyl’s stomach. It never stops being a rush, being able to touch Dyl whenever he wants.

“What time is it?” Dyl asks. His eyes are barely even open. He looks gorgeous like this; in the sunlight, in their bed. His dark hair mussed across his pillow, his green eyes sleepy. He shaves more often now that he’s not a bad boy. But first thing in the morning his stubble is still dark and bristley on his jaw. Caden leans closer to nuzzle against it.

“Early,” Caden says, and he can't help the smile that breaks out on his face.

“You have a shift at the library.”

“And a meeting with my advisor.” Caden reminds him. "And you have to be at the hospital.”

“Not yet,” Dyl says, rubbing his eyes. He taps his chest. “Come here.”

Caden shifts to lie with his head over Dyl’s heart and let Dyl stroke his hair.

“What were you thinking about so hard over there?” Dyl asks, his voice rumbling in Caden’s ear.

Caden groans. “Future Caden is so screwed.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know what I’m doing with my life!” Caden says in a breathless rush as Dyl keeps stroking his hair. Back from his forehead and down around the shell of his ear.

This closeness is everything Caden ever wanted. He doesn’t know how to feel that desire for anything else. Dyl is still his favorite person in the whole world. He’d make Dyl his career if he could but he’s not sure his advisor would go for that.

“Hey, well, what’s something you know you’re good at?” Dyl asks. He sets a finger under Caden’s chin, tilting his face back up so that they can see each other.

His gaze can be so intense. Caden shrugs, forcing himself not to look away this time. “Lying. So I guess that opens the door on politician, lawyer or CEO.”

“Caden. You can do anything.”

That’s the real issue. Maybe he can do anything but it’s not like he ever thought he’d have the opportunity. And he was never big on wanting things he couldn’t have. Dyl was pretty much the one exception to that rule.

“Okay. Except I don’t know what I want. And you’re just so sure of what you want to do and so is Juliet, and Trevor was...” Caden swallows hard, steeling himself. “And I keep wanting to put things off to the future except the future is kind of right now. So - screwed.” He slides free of Dyl’s grip and flops down, burying his face in his pillow.

“Maybe you’ll end up writing raps for Nicki Minaj.”

Caden pops back up for that. “She writes her own verses!”

“You can do anything,” Dyl says with a laugh. “I believe in you. Be a teacher or a journalist or a counselor for kids who are struggling.”

Dyl believes in him. He says things like that so easily and Caden’s heart is suddenly beating really hard. It's just that sometimes when Dyl does or says certain things, it still hits him like this, like a shock. _He likes this boy_. More than ‘likes’ now.

“I love you.” Caden says. And he leans forward helplessly to kiss Dyl’s smiling mouth.

“I love you too. How much time did you say we have?” Dyl stretches out, shirtless and tempting on their rumpled white sheets.

Caden checks the clock quickly, chewing on his bottom lip. It’s just past 7. “Like half an hour? If you take the world’s fastest shower after.”

“After?” Dyl asks, with his patented smirk.

“Definitely after,” Caden says breathlessly, rolling back down next to him, the both of them on their sides, tangling together effortlessly. Caden tucks his face against Dyl’s neck, breathing him in.

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” Dyl teases him. “You’ll just fall back asleep when we're done.”

Caden laughs. “That sounds more like you.”

But honestly Caden is already light-headed from the slow movement of Dylan’s hips against his. And they're both hard, something that Caden now has exactly zero shame about. It took some practice, some trial and error, but this is one place that he knows what he wants and how to get it.

"Jerk me off?" Caden asks, wiggling to get his sweatpants shoved down to his knees.

Dyl nods, his mouth at Caden's jaw, shoving his boxers down at the same time. "Yeah, yeah, me too."

Caden shudders when Dyl gets a hand around them both, his stroke tight and firm. He knows what Caden likes.

Being with Dyl like this - some days it seems like it's the only thing he can think about. Sometimes Caden wonders what that says about him; that he used to think about life and death, good and bad, and now sometimes sex is all there is. He just wants it so much.

By now Dyl is as familiar with Caden's dick as he is his own, so Caden holds tight to Dyl's shoulders and lets him work his magic. They're kissing messily, breathing hard against each other's lips. They're on the edge now, the both of them tensing with each quick stroke of Dyl's hand.

Dylan comes with a moan between one kiss and the next. The pulse of his come over his fist and their cocks sets Caden off too, and all Caden can do is cling to him and try to ride it out as his world rocks.

They keep kissing after, settling each other, wrapped together in their bed. And after another lazy minute, Caden proves Dyl right by rolling over into the wet spot they made and falling back asleep.

He wakes up again abruptly when Dyl comes back to their room toweling himself off from his shower.

Dyl tosses the towel and grabs a pair of jeans off of the floor. They might actually be Caden's jeans, but Caden isn't going to complain about that.

"Do you have time for breakfast?" Dyl asks, tugging the jeans up over his hips.

Caden checks the clock again. 7:37. He groans. "I'll probably just grab a muffin at Starbucks on my way to the library. Today is going to suck enough without skipping meals."

Dyl sighs, meeting Caden's eyes with a slight frown. He comes to Caden’s side of the bed, presses a kiss to his forehead, and says softly, “I meant it before, you know? About you maybe being a counselor or something. I think you’d be great at that.”

“Pretty sure I’m not qualified," Caden says with a shrug, pushing himself into a sitting position.

Dyl has that determined look on his face, the one he gets when he thinks he can convince Caden of something by sheer force of will. “Maybe not officially but you still helped me," he says as he cups Caden's face in his hands, leaning in to swiftly kiss him again. "And hey, you can think about it. You still have time.”

Caden takes a deep breath at that. It’s kind of a scary thought; more time. The odds against them both making it til now had been so slim and Caden had worked so hard to accept that. He had tried to keep himself from wanting more or too much. He loves and trusts Dyl but he still catches himself thinking sometimes that this could be the day Dyl gives up on them, this could be the day Dyl leaves. Because if he expects the worst every time, then maybe he won’t be surprised if the worst happens. But maybe Caden can stop now. Maybe they _do_ have time. Maybe Caden can plan on that.

And maybe he’ll reschedule with his advisor. So he can think. Caden exhales deeply and nods. “I’ll let future Caden know.”

Dyl leans in one more time, gives Caden one of his lingering kisses. “I’ll see you tonight. Maybe we can go for a drive?”

Caden smiles, big and lopsided. “Yeah. I think I can make time for that.”


End file.
